Take My Hand
by anchorsandboots
Summary: For randomly-crazy-thinking for the Season 3 fic exchange. Elizabeth and Henry share a moment before their wedding.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This story is for randomly-crazy-thinking. I realize I strayed a little from the original prompt, but I hope the fluffiness and length (it's 2 chapters!) of this story help make up for it :). I also apologize for any typos/errors in this story; I was rushing to get it posted and barely did and proofreading. Anyway, here it is! Let me know what you thought? ;))

* * *

"Hey man, relax, alright? There's nothing to worry about," Will said, patting his soon to be brother-in-law on the shoulder.

"That's easy for you to say," Henry remarked, "you've never gotten married before." He continued to pace the length of the bedroom. Within the next hour, he and Elizabeth would stand outside across from the stables at her family's horse farm, and exchange their wedding vows in front of their friends and family.

"True, but come on, Henry, this really is nothing to get stressed about. It's only a wedding."

Just as Henry was about to point out that it was more than "only a wedding" — he was marrying Elizabeth Adams, after all — Audrey, Elizabeth's close friend and maid of honor, burst into the bedroom.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Will protested, "you and Lizzie are supposed to be getting ready in her old room, not mine."

"Well, we would be, except I can't find her," Audrey announced, glancing towards Henry. "Elizabeth is missing."

"What do you mean?" The anxiety plaguing Henry's mind surged higher.

"I stepped out of the room for a minute to check on the floral arrangements outside, and when I came back, she wasn't where I left her," Audrey explained matter-of-factly, "I told Elizabeth that I would touch up her hair and makeup when I came back, but she's not there and I don't know where she would have gone."

Will noticed Henry beginning to panic. It was becoming more and more apparent to him how much Henry really did care about Elizabeth. "Okay, she's probably just nervous. It's understandable."

Audrey nodded. "We have to find her. She's not anywhere downstairs."

"Maybe Lizzie went outside," Will offered, heading to the door in search of his sister.

"I'll come look with you," Audrey said. "Henry, I think you should stay here in case she wanders back up or something."

Henry gave a faint nod and watched Will and Audrey rush out of the room. _Where could Elizabeth have gone?_ His mind raced with thoughts of fear and his own insecurity. _Is she alright?... she didn't sound like she had doubts about getting married last night on the phone… I need to find her…._

He quickly stepped into the hallway, then turned a corner. The organization of the farmhouse was still fairly new to him; he had only ever visited when Elizabeth brought him home for their most recent holiday. As he approached a room he didn't think he'd been to before, he noticed the door slightly ajar. When he came closer, Henry heard soft sobs coming from inside the room.

"Elizabeth, is that you?"

She suddenly rose from the edge of the bed to shut the door completely, enclosing herself in the room. Henry wasn't supposed to see her in her dress before the wedding.

"Babe, are you okay? Audrey said she couldn't find you," Henry spoke against the closed door.

Elizabeth sniffled, trying not to let him hear her cry. "Henry…."

His heart sank when he heard the way she could barely whisper his name. He wanted to wrap his arms around her so badly. "What's wrong, Elizabeth?"

She just couldn't bring herself to respond. Everything felt heavy, and it was hard to answer Henry when she felt like the world was spinning around her.

"If something's wrong, you can tell me, babe," he prodded. He could barely stand having to try to comfort her with a closed door between them. "Can I come in?"

"No," Elizabeth managed, sniffling. "It's bad luck to see me before the wedding."

Henry sighed softly. Elizabeth had never been very superstitious, but his mother had made sure they didn't take any "risks" with their luck. "Okay, I'll stay here then. Can you tell me what's wrong, babe?"

 _Where do I even begin?_ She looked around the room at her surroundings. She saw the vanity where her mother used to put her makeup on every day, the chest of drawers where her father had kept his tie collection. She missed her parents more than she thought ever possible. Her eyes roamed to the framed photograph on the wall near the door. It showed her parents on their wedding day - standing under a tree together, smiling into each other's eyes. Elizabeth would be forever grateful that one of the strongest memories she had of her parents was of their undying love and commitment to each other.

She moved slowly toward the bedroom door, a single tear running down her cheek. Elizabeth carefully pressed her palm against the cool wood door. "Henry?"

"I'm here, Elizabeth."

"I, uh, I just got overwhelmed, I think," she spoke against the doorframe, "just being back here and everything brought back a lot of memories."

Henry placed his palm against the door, trying to be as close to her as possible. "I understand. It's okay." After a few moments, he added, "I love you, Elizabeth. I can't wait to be married to you."

A smile broke out on Elizabeth's face, lifting her spirits slightly. "I love you, too, Henry. I love you so much, baby." He twisted the doorknob gently and began to open the door to the bedroom. "Wait, what are you doing?!"

He only opened the door a little, then slipped his hand through to hold it out to Elizabeth. "Just take my hand." She did, and he held her, lacing their fingers together to show her that he would always be there for her. "Did I ever tell you the story of how I fell in love with you?"

"No, I don't think so."

He spoke to her through the crack between the door and the wall, never letting go of her hand. "Around our third date, when we were having dinner, I asked you about your home. You told me you considered this horse farm your home, because it was where you fell in love with your horses, and you were always surrounded by the love of your family. Then later, you told me about your parents, and I immediately saw how strong you really are, Elizabeth. You experienced a devastating loss, and came out on the other side determined to have a positive impact on the world. You truly inspired me, and I knew from that moment that I was falling in love with you."

Elizabeth squeezed Henry's hand with their fingers still laced together, using her other hand to wipe the tears that streamed down her face. "I never knew that."

"Well, now you do." Henry returned her squeeze gently, noting the sounds of her sniffles again. "And every day since then you've continued to inspire me and make me fall in love all over again." At the sound of approaching footsteps Henry turned slightly and saw Audrey peeking around the corner, an expression of relief across her face. "Hey, babe, Audrey is back. I should go now. I'll see you outside, okay? I love you."

He was about to let go when Elizabeth spoke up. "Wait!" Then she paused, wanting their last words before the ceremony to be perfect. "Thank you, Henry. For telling me that story, and for everything else. I love you."

Henry carefully pulled Elizabeth's hand up to kiss without letting himself see her fully. Exhaling slowly, he finally let go and headed outside for the ceremony.


	2. Chapter 2

"You look stunning, Elizabeth, really," Audrey beamed. She couldn't have been happier for her friend and the man she was about to marry.

"I don't know," Elizabeth contested, "I feel like I'm missing something."

She gazed at her reflection in the full-size mirror a few feet in front of her, using her eyes to trace the beautiful silhouette of her body in a neat, white wedding dress. Elegant lace cap sleeves graced her shoulders, then flowed into a sweetheart neckline and lace bodice. The skirt consisted of light chiffon that flowed perfectly down her waist and over her legs.

"Oh, I know!" Audrey interrupted Elizabeth's thoughts, "Will told me to give you something." She opened a jewelry box on the dresser and pulled out a delicate silver chain with a small diamond pendant in the center. Audrey stood behind Elizabeth and closed the minuscule clasp on the necklace.

"Oh my God." Elizabeth covered her mouth with her palm as she felt more tears threatening to fall. "This was my mother's necklace. My father gave it to her the night they married." She paused slightly and Audrey moved to hug her. "She never took it off," Elizabeth continued, her voice softening, "she was wearing it when they died."

"It's very beautiful," Audrey affirmed, "and you are very beautiful, Elizabeth. Gosh, I just can't get over you and Henry. I'm so happy for you. You guys make me believe in true love."

"Oh, Audrey," Elizabeth hugged her friend, extremely grateful for all of her support and hard work helping plan the wedding.

A few moments later, after they had composed themselves, Audrey realized they only had ten minutes until the ceremony was scheduled to begin. "Okay, we should get you downstairs and outside now. Ready?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Yes."

...

Henry could barely stand to wait another second, let alone ten minutes, before the ceremony would start. He had anticipated this day for what felt like forever, and there was no where he'd rather be today than with Elizabeth, exchanging their vows to each other and making their commitment official. He peered from his spot at the altar to see if he could find any sign of her approaching, but his gaze was interrupted by the guests filing in to take their seats. Henry glanced at his watch. _Seven more minutes._

...

Downstairs, inside the farmhouse, only Will and Elizabeth were left. Audrey stood outside the door, ready to walk to her place near Elizabeth at the altar when it was time.

"You look amazing, Lizzie," Will smiled. She reminded him so much of their mother in that moment.

"Thank you," Elizabeth managed, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her.

Will could sense her anxiety. "You and Henry both, nervous out of your minds," he shook his head, grinning. He gently took Elizabeth's hand and tried to steady her. "It's gonna be great, Lizzie. I just know it. Henry is hopelessly in love with you, and I can tell you two are meant to have a life together."

"I love you, Will. Thank you for doing this." They shared an embrace, something they hadn't done in quite some time.

"Mom and Dad would be so proud of you," Will whispered as they broke apart. "Now, I believe there's an aisle I'm supposed to walk you down..."

"Yes, there is." She looked her brother in the eye, truly thankful that he was here today to do this for her.

He held out his arm for Elizabeth to take. "Then let's do this."

...

All of the guests were seated, the music was ready to begin, and everyone was waiting. Henry was the most impatient. He couldn't stand to be apart from Elizabeth for another second. After checking his watch for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, he looked up and saw Audrey giving him a thumbs-up, signaling that they were ready to start the ceremony. _Here we go_ , he thought, his heart pounding.

Audrey gracefully made her way down the aisle, then stood on the left side of the altar and turned to face the rows of witnesses to the wedding. Everyone rose, and the sight of Elizabeth and Will walking down the aisle came into Henry's view.

She seemed slightly timid, unaccustomed to so many people watching her at once. But as soon as her eyes met Henry's, everything fell into place. He watched her, his breath taken away by how absolutely radiant she appeared in that moment. She watched him, focusing on how nervous she could tell he was, even though he tried desperately to conceal it.

When they had reached the altar, Will kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and left her to stand across from Henry. He took his place standing behind Henry and the ceremony began.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the love between Elizabeth Adams and Henry McCord, and their commitment to each other." The minister led them through the motions, and everything felt surreal. Neither Elizabeth nor Henry could fully grasp that it was finally happening. Soon they would officially be married.

Before he knew it, the time had come for Henry to say his vows. "Saint Thomas Aquinas once said, 'the things that we love tell us what we are.' When I first knew I loved you, Elizabeth, this quote came to mind. I saw that you were one of the most kind, passionate, and beautiful people I had ever met. However, what struck me the hardest was how inspiring I found you to be. Loving you and being inspired by you made me realize the kind of person I want to be, for myself and for you, too. Elizabeth, you are so hardworking. And honest. And you love with your whole heart, which many wouldn't expect a person to, but you do, and I am honored to be able to say I am loved by you. You make me so happy, every single day. You have shown me what love is, and all I can do is strive to return such a strong, passionate love. I vow to you that I will never fall out of love with you, and that I will always do my best to make sure you know you are loved."

Henry wiped the corners of his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Elizabeth smiled up at him through her tears and began to unfold a thin piece of paper she had written her vows on. A smile crept onto Henry's face; it was so like Elizabeth to come prepared with her vows written out.

"Henry, you are my forever. I realized this very early in our relationship. Initially, I was scared, because I have never known anyone in my life who I could trust to be around forever, but you are different. You are so thoughtful, intelligent, and wise. I know I can always come to you if I have a problem with anything. I believe that together, we are incredibly strong. It's more than just love between us, it's strength, too. I am only as hopeful about the future as I am because I know that you are in my life and you love me. Our relationship is empowered by our individual strengths, and how we use them together to impact the world around us. With our marriage, I promise you that I will always love you. I will honor this commitment we have made to each other and everything it entails, because the happiness I feel when I think about our life together is a feeling I can never let go of."

They continued to hold hands, gently squeezing and rubbing to communicate their overwhelming emotions in the moment. The rest of the ceremony was a blur, pausing when they each said "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister beamed, "you may now kiss the bride."

Henry didn't hesitate even half a second before placing his palms on Elizabeth's waist and pulling her in for a passionate kiss. Her hands found their way to cup his cheeks, and they could faintly hear the sounds of their friends and family applauding. In that moment, everything stood still, and all they could feel was the pounding of their hearts as they were overcome with joy.

Henry led his new wife down the aisle, in the direction of the farmhouse she had entered from. Before they could go inside, he stopped them, standing beside the stables just out of view of their guests.

"Baby, we're _married_ ," Elizabeth giggled.

"I know," Henry grinned, unable to contain his excitement.

They gazed into each other's eyes, lost in the moment. "So what do we do now?" Elizabeth asked, her arm still linked with Henry's.

"Now, my dear," he pulled her in closer, "our story continues." He took her hand in his, noting how the sapphires of her wedding ring sparkled in the light of the setting sun.

"I love you," they both whispered, as their lips met in the most perfect kiss.


End file.
